Photo Gallery | 10 Crazy Summer Events in U.S.

Featuring three days of fruity fun, Hope’s annual Watermelon Festival draws crowds of some 50,000 visitors to the southwest corner of Arkansas. Juicy shenanigans include a seed-spitting contest and a watermelon eating competition, which sees competitors vie to devour an eighth of a melon, down to the rind – seeds and all. Even the local politicians get stuck in, in the “politically correct watermelon eating” heat. Awe-inspiring watermelons will also be on display, with some supersize specimens tipping the scales at close to 200 pounds. General admission is free of charge.

In honor of keeping the “almost-lost-art” of hollering alive, this sonorous soiree draws crowds in the thousands to Spivey’s Corner, some 50 miles south of Raleigh. The men’s Hollerin’ Contest is the main act, but willful women and yelling youngsters can also compete for bragging rights and a dazzling trophy in the Ladies’ Callin’ and the Junior Hollerin’ events. Attendees can also catch the conch shell blowing contest, or devour some down-home delights from an array of food vendors. General admission is free of charge.

Now in its 43rd year, the annual Possum Festival pays homage to the modest marsupial’s role as a food source during the Great Depression. Crowds of up to 5,000 visitors descend on this small town (population 400) in the central Florida Panhandle, for a taste of down-home family fun – not to mention, the possum hash, which is always a sell-out. Eclectic events include a 5 km “Possum Trot”, a Possum King and Queen Pageant, and a possum auction – although the highest bidder will only be granted a brief audience with the cuddly critter, before its release. General admission is free of charge.

Home to the very first restaurant established by Kentucky Fried Chicken founder, Colonel Harland Sanders, Laurel County throws this annual eggs-travaganza in celebration of its fine feathered heritage. The poultry party features a hot wing eating contest, a clucking competition, and the event’s famous “Chicken Scratch”, in which children dig through 600 pounds of flour in search of cash. And, with crowds of up to 150,000 attendees, chicken meals are in plentiful supply, thanks to the world’s largest stainless steel skillet. With a diameter of 10 feet, six inches, the hefty pan can cook 600 chicken quarters at one time. General admission is free of charge.

Located 55 miles southeast of Houston, large mushroomClute will be a-buzz with excitement at the 32nd annual Great Texas Mosquito Festival. Presided over by festival mascot Willie-Man-Chew – the world’s largest mosquito, standing at 26 feet tall (and rest assured it’s fake) – some 13,000 attendees will find themselves bitten by the bug for summertime fun at this al fresco fiesta. Thick-skinned contestants can vie to summon a bevy of bugs in the mosquito calling competition, or simply strut their stuff in a mosquito legs contest. Meanwhile, a big-time BBQ cook-off competition will serve up proof that the ultimate delicacies at this event are not the attendees. Admission is $5- $15 for adults, and $3 - $5 for senior citizens and children alike (ages five and under are free).